rip Bernie, but this info is still good!

Whether you’re excited to vote or consumed by dread for the future of our nation, participating in the election is an important civic duty. If you’re voting away from Columbia, make sure you’ve sent in your ballot or have plans to get to your polling place! For those of you staying on campus, we wanted to provide you with an easy guide to voting around Morningside campus.

1. Check your registration. Use the Board of Elections’ Voter Registration Search to look at your registration. If you’re not marked as registered, make sure you’re using the right ZIP code (10025 or 10027 for most students) and the right county (New York). Once you’re looking at your registration, take note of your voter status (should be active), your listed name (should match your ID), and your residential address. This address might be outdated (for instance, your freshman dorm), but this is the address that determines your polling place. If you are not registered now, it’s too late to register.
2. With this information in tow, use New York City’s Poll Site Locator to find your polling place. Enter your listed registered address and take note of your polling site! These sites should be consistent with the sites listed on the map provided in this article created in April by Columbia and Barnard for Bernie, and we’ve checked a few to make sure they’re right. Still, use the Poll Site Locator just to be sure. Also pay attention to the poll site’s listed hours – many open early, and you should leave plenty of time to vote.
3. Once you know exactly where you’re voting, take the time to familiarize yourself with your ballot. Go to Who’s on the Ballot to find campaign information about everyone you’ll be voting for. Again, use your listed, registered address on this site. Deciding who to vote for before you show up to your polling place will allow you to make informed decisions and avoid the biases of partisanship and the ballot order effect.
4. If you’ve voted in New York before, you won’t have to provide an ID, as New York does not have a voter ID law. However, if you registered to vote in NY without providing your Social Security number or DMV ID number, you should be prepared to provide that. If you have not voted in NY and do not have an SSN, bring a paycheck or bank statement, or a valid photo ID.

Most Columbia students will be voting in Lenfest Hall on 121st Street. But make sure you know your polling place before the 8th. Otherwise, you could be standing for an hour only to be turned away.

Voting map via Columbia and Barnard for Bernie